1. Wil Myers, of Born: Dec 10, 1990 B-T: R-R Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 205
Drafted: Wesleyan Christian Academy, High Point, N.C., 2009 (3rd round). Signed by: Steve Connelly
Background: For much of his career, Wil Myers' eventual position has been unclear. His destiny as an impact big leaguer has been much more certain. In high school, he had more success as a pitcher than as a hitter as a junior, and he would have been a two-way player had he followed through on his commitment to South Carolina. But after his $2 million asking price dropped him to the third round of the 2009 draft, the Royals met his price. Myers began his pro career as a catcher, but after splitting time with Salvador Perez at high Class A Wilmington in 2010, he agreed to move to right field. He added center field to his list of positions in 2012 and also dabbled with third base for 15 games. Myers made the decision to tweak his stance, setting up more upright and working on backspinning the ball for more carry. It paid off to the tune of 37 home runs, second most in the minors and 23 more than he had ever hit in a pro season. In the last 50 years, only one 21-year-old has hit more homers in a minor league season (Arlo Engel, with 41 in 1963). Myers joined Tom Gordon as the only Royals to win Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year award.
Scouting Report: Myers' outstanding raw power has been clear since he put on a show at Kauffman Stadium in a predraft workout. What makes him stand out is that he pairs his pop with an advanced approach at the plate and excellent hand-eye coordination. When he uses the opposite field and doesn't worry about hitting homers, he can post high batting averages and on-base percentages. His decision to try to hit for more power in 2012 meant that Myers took more aggressive swings in two-strike counts, resulting in a career-high 140 strikeouts. After struggling with chasing balls that were too far in on his hands to hit fair in 2011, he made adjustments to lay off those pitches while showing he could pull fastballs on the inner half for extra bases. Myers has fringy speed but is a heady baserunner. He fits best in right field, where he should become a solid defender. He responded well to the challenge of center field, but his lack of quickness limits him there. The Royals see him as an average center fielder in the short term, but scouts on other teams grade him as well below average. Though he's much more raw at third base, his plus arm and soft hands would allow him to stick there if the need arose. He possibly could develop into an average third baseman in time if he was allowed to work on the positon full-time.
The Future: Myers was ready to stay in Kansas City when he arrived for the midseason Futures Game. Since he wasn't yet on the 40-man roster and didn't need to be added to it this offseason, the Royals kept him in Triple-A for the full season. If the Royals end the offseason with Jeff Francoeur still on the roster, it won't be a surprise to see Myers start 2013 at Triple-A Omaha. That would allow him to work on cutting down his strikeouts and could help delay his arbitration and free-agent eligibility. Regardless, he'll be in the major leagues before long. He projects as an eventual No. 3 hitter in the lineup because of his batting eye and power potential.
Year Team AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
'09 Burlington (R) 16 1 2 0 1 1 4 0 3 0 0 .125 .125 .438
'09 Idaho Falls (R) 68 18 29 7 1 4 14 9 15 2 0 .426 .488 .735
'10 Burlington (LoA) 242 42 70 19 1 10 45 48 55 10 3 .289 .408 .500
'10 Wilmington (HiA) 205 28 71 18 2 4 38 37 39 2 3 .346 .453 .512
'11 NW Arkansas (AA) 354 50 90 23 1 8 49 52 87 9 2 .254 .353 .393
'12 NW Arkansas (AA) 134 32 46 11 1 13 30 16 42 4 1 .343 .414 .731
'12 Omaha (AAA) 388 66 118 15 5 24 79 45 98 2 2 .304 .378 .554
Minor League Totals 1407 237 426 93 12 64 259 207 339 29 11 .303 .395 .522